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Flashback 2017: Best in arts & culture - Part 1
Here are the most notable events to remind us of the memorable year we will be leaving behind.
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‘Pasola’: Sumba’s centuries-old ritual. (JP/Tarko Sudiarno)
T
em>The Jakarta Post’s JPlus channel has captured many moments throughout 2017, from annual Jakarta fashion shows to traditional ceremonies across the country, and from art exhibitions to concerts and to social movements in the capital.
Here are the most notable events to remind us of the memorable year we will be leaving behind.
JANUARY
Jan. 16
Bryan Adams performs in Jakarta
Adams rocked the Ritz-Carlton Jakarta audience on his promotional tour for his latest album, Get Up. “A great night [with] two hours of music. I can hardly wait,” the 58-year-old singer said prior to the show.
Jan. 22
Surakarta parade celebrates Chinese-Javanese harmony, tolerance
Sudiropradjan subdistrict, home to around 4,000 residents comprising equally of Javanese people and those of Chinese descent and which developed as an acculturated area, initiated a series of Chinese New Year traditions, including this famous parade called Grebeg Sudiro.
Bali hosts sacred purification ritual
The sacred bathing pool of Tirta Tempul in Tampak Siring in Gianyar, Bali, welcomed hundreds of people who had come to join the purification ritual, or melukat, to cleanse their bodies and souls by dipping their heads under the pool’s 26 fountains.
Jan. 29
TiTian Prize recognizes Balinese visual artists
Fight Lust by 27-year old Gianyar painter Nyoman Arisana, emerged as the winner of the 2017 TiTian Prize, an arts award initiated by the TiTian Bali (YTB) foundation to recognize Balinese visual artists that created the most innovative work incorporating Balinese sensibilities.
FEBRUARY
Feb. 1-5
Indonesia Fashion Week 2017 designers preserve local crafts
The sixth installment of the Indonesia Fashion Week ran for five days at the Jakarta Convention Center in Central Jakarta, presenting 25 shows of about 200 designers, seminars, talk shows and an exhibition featuring 520 brands from several countries, including Lebanon, India, Australia, South Korea and Italy.
Feb. 7-12
Appreciating restricted images: ‘Unpublished’ photo exhibit
As part of the Kompas Photography Festival, 100 unpublished works by the photojournalists of the Kompas national daily were shown in the “Unpublished” exhibit at the Bentara Budaya cultural center in Palmerah, South Jakarta. The exhibition featured works that could not be shown publicly before because of certain restrictions, such as displaying blood and violence.
MARCH
March 1
Local talents invited to utilize Jakarta Creative Hub
The co-working space is on the first floor of the Graha Niaga building near the Melati reservoir in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. Creative young entrepreneurs can expect to enjoy facilities like 3D printers and woodworking, sewing and fashion sizing machines for lower prices at the hub, which is backed by the city government.
March 2-5
Gloomy portraits of Indonesia’s past and future
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, legendary theater troupe Teater Koma staged one of their popular plays, Opera Ikan Asin (Salted Fish Opera), for four days at the Ciputra Artpreneur in Lotte Shopping Avenue, South Jakarta. The nearly three-hour play is a localized adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera with music by Kurt Weill.
Read also: A review of the 2016 Indonesian news
March 4
The many voices of Women’s March Jakarta 2017
Hundreds of women and men joined the Women’s March Jakarta 2017, taking to the streets at 9 a.m. and marching from the Sarinah shopping center to the State Palace. Organized by 33 different civil society groups, the event aimed to address eight issues, including women’s health rights, violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities and diversity.
March 16-17
‘Arka Suta’: A new beginning for Padneçwara
Dance opera Arka Suta (Descendant of the Sun) played for two days at Graha Bhakti Budaya theater of Taman Ismail Marzuki, in Central Jakarta. The performance debuted lead choreographer Rury Nostalgia, the daughter of Javanese dance maestro Retro Maruti who founded the Padneçwara classical Javanese dance group.
March 20
‘Pasola’: Sumba’s centuries-old ritual
The Pasola ritual war games, which is observed by followers of the Marapu ancestral belief system in West Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, took place in several areas on Sumba Island, including Wanokaka. The thanksgiving ritual is usually held seven days after a full moon.
March 31
The inaugural Jakarta Dance Meet Up was held at the Jakarta Play House. Expected to be the signature production of the Jakarta Art Council’s dance committee, the event featured 25 dance groups, among them EE Production, Sanggar Tari Limpapeh and EKI Dance Company.
APRIL
April 29
24-hour ‘Solo Menari’ offers more than just dance
The 24-hour Solo Menari (Solo Dances) event was held at several locations in Central Java, including ISI Surakarta, the Pamedan Pura Mangkunegaran and Triwindu Market. Each venue hosted thousands of dancers from hundreds of dance studios and communities.
MAY
May 11
Living in harmony on Waisak Day
Waisak is a Buddhist holiday that celebrates harmony. During the customary Pindhapata (collecting alms) event on Jl. Pemuda in Magelang, Central Java, people of all backgrounds and religions were seen giving donations to Buddhist monks.
May 14
Nyadran, a unique tradition of welcoming Ramadhan
Those visiting the village of Selo Duwur in Selo district of Boyolali regency, Central Java, were greeted with endless invitations from the local people to dine at their homes. Such hospitality, which is part of the tradition known as nyadran or sadranan, are offered until the eve of the first day of the holy month of Ramadhan.
JUNE
June 10 – July 9
Bali Arts Festival: Ensuring relevance of island’s traditional arts
The 39th annual Bali Arts Festival displayed a strong showing of around 17,000 artists in 230 performances as well as exhibitions, parades and seminars at the Werdhi Budaya Art Center in East Denpasar. (wir/kes)
